“”empty and closed, hovering in some frozen netherworld neither sun nor rain could thaw.””
— Ellen Hopkins (Crank)
Sooo…what did you think?
For me this book took a little while to get use to it. My brain had to get use to following the words in a nontraditional way. But once I did, I flew through it. To me, Ellen Hopkins is an amazing story teller. She tells her heartfelt story with out ever getting too corny about it. I never had the sense that she as the mom placed blame on any single aspect of the story nor did she become the martyr mom. I look forward to hearing what you think
From www.simon&schuster.com
Discussion Questions
• How would you describe Bree? Is this the same way that Kristina would describe her? Where did Bree come from?
• For Kristina, what is the lure of crystal meth? What does it provide for her? What does it take away?
• Describe Kristina’s mother, father, and stepfather. Are they in any way responsible for her addiction? Do you think that there’s anything else they could have — or should have — done to help her?
• Why is Kristina drawn to Adam? To Chase? To Brendan? In what ways are these three similar and in what ways are they different? How does Kristina’s relationship with each one affect her? Which boy is most harmful to her?
• Why does Kristina decide to keep her baby? What reasons might she have had for giving it up? Do you think she made the right decision?
• Why does Kristina always call crank “the monster”? How do you think her renaming of the drug affects her attitude toward it and her sense of responsibility regarding it? Are there other things or people in the story that get renamed? How does this affect the way in which they are regarded?
• Kristina sometimes refers to herself and her life before drugs as boring and worthless, yet at other times she seems to regard it as something very precious. What attitude do you think is closest to her true feelings? Do you think those around her would agree with her assessment?
• The author chose to write this story in verse. Why do you think that she chose this format? What effect does this have on how you feel about the characters and events?
• What is the overall message of this book? Do you think the story will act as a deterrent for teens who are considering drugs?
Great book for parents to read… the drugs our children can get anytime regardless of social economic factors amazing to me. Gone are the days for “just” weed!